Why Kelley Dock Levelers Last Longer

What makes a dock leveler perform better and last longer over time? The answer is its ability to withstand weight over time.

Beuschel Sales sells Kelley dock levelers and always has because of the quality and long lasting performance our customers could expect from Kelley. However, the dock levelers we install today are far superior to the ones we sold decades ago, and this is because of the improved engineering of this product.

All dock levelers, whether mechanical, hydraulic, or air-bag, operate by creating a ramp for workers to move goods from truck to dock. This ramp must be strong enough overall to bear any necessary weight, and it must lift up and down on demand. Kelley has updated both the beam and the lip hinge on its air-bag and hydraulic dock levelers to ensure that its dock leveler can do its job well and keep doing it for the lifetime of the product.

Unlike the C beams other dock leveler manufacturers use, Kelley utilizes lambda beams made of double-thick steel web on its air-bag and hydraulic levelers. These beams are robotically welded for greater strength and quality. The closed triangular shape of this beam is more twist resistant and better distributes any weight put on the leveler. This results in lowered stress on any one part of the dock leveler and a longer life for the product. Every Kelley dock leveler comes with a 10-year structural warranty.

The second improvement Kelley made on its dock leveler is the hinge. A leveler’s hinge connects the two parts of the leveler and because of this is the weakest part of the product. Other brands utilize only a tubular hinge which is weaker due to its thin section. In order to make the hinge stronger, Kelley re-engineered its air-bag and hydraulic levelers to have a ramp lug and a lip hinge lug in place of hinge tubes. These lugs extend 4 ⅛ inches under the ramp to provide 275% more support. The bearing wall is ⅝ of an inch thick, and the design has a 267% more effective weld length. Over time this design has proven so successful that Kelley now warrants its lip-hinge assembly for the full lifetime of the dock leveler.

Because of the improved engineering of this new design, Kelley air-bag and hydraulic levelers operate as a single load carrying structure. The open hinge design also remains cleaner and requires less maintenance over its lifetime. All other dock-leveler manufacturer are still using a tubular hinge design.

If your company would prefer to use the strongest, longest lasting dock leveler in the industry on its loading dock, call Beuschel Sales today. We would love to give you more information about how this proven Kelley product can make your loading dock safer and more efficient.